Windmill



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

W. O. SWINNERTON.

WINDMILL Patented Apr. 21, 1885.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. 0. SWINNERTON.

WINDMILL.

No. 316,078. Patented Apr. 21, 1885.

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WILLIAM OTIS SWVINNERTON, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

WI'NDMILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 316,078, dated-A ril 21, 1885.

' Application filed March 20, 1884. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM. O. SWINNER- TON, of San J os, county of Santa Clara, and State of California, have invented an Improvement in Windmills; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to certain improvements in windmills; and it consists, mainly, in a peculiar device for throwing the wheel out of the wind, a supporting frame or tail hinged to the main or wheel frame, and an arm connecting the wheel-frame with the rotary vane.

Itfurther consists in a novel construction of the wheel and in certain details of construction, all of which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the wheel, wheel-frame, vane, and tail with connections. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the tail-frame. Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are details of the construction of the windmill.

A is the hub of the wheel, upon the front of which are ribs so arranged that the arms B of the wheel fit snugly between them, and forming a space which is slightly shallower at the back than the front, so that when the concave saucer-shaped cap 0 is fitted over the end of the axle D and the nut E is screwed down against it the arms will be forced into the channels between the ribs, so as to be held solidly in place. The arms are also secured to the rim of the flange by bolts.

Upon the arms B are fixed transverse crescent-shaped bars F, the front surfaces of which are made concave, and the wheel-vanes G are curved and secured to the concave surfaces of these blocks, being thus curved about an axis radial to the center of the wheel. The rear convex sides of the blocks are secured to the arms 13, as shown. This construction gives great strength, and prevents the vanes from springing or warping out of shape or splitting.

The wind has a better effect upon vanes curved in this manner, and as they are supported away from the arms it can act freely upon their entire surfaces.

H is the journal frame upon which the cranked wheel-shaft is supported. It consists of arms extending upward from a tapering tubular cone, I, which has its lower end fitted into an annular step on the frames J, within which it may turn. The cap K, which holds the top of the frame-timbers together, has chambers L at points around its circular inner rim, within which rollers M are journaled, so

that their edges project just inside the rim and bear against the upper part, N, of the tubular portion I, and support it so that the wheelframe may turn easily about its vertical axis. From the crank-shaft the pitman O connects with an elongated slide, P,which extends down through the lower part of the cone I, and has its lower part made cylindrical, with a neck at Q.

R is a semicircular band fixed to the upper part of the pump-rod and fitted to clasp the neck Q. A pin, S, is then passed through holes in the ends of the band, and thus holds it in place,while providing an easy means for disconnecting at any time.

In order to throw the wheel into or'out of the wind, I employ a circular, polygonal, star, or other suitably shaped tail-piece, which is fixed between supporting-timbers U so as to stand with its edge toward the wheel when it is in line behind the wheel. This disk T has its axis or shaft journaled in the timbers U, and a board or vane, V, is fixed to bars upon each side of it, which depend from the shaft transverselyeither at the top or bottom of the disk, as shown. The shaft may pass .through at or near the center of the disk, preferably a little above the center,to give greater weight to the lower edge. An arm, W, is formed with or fixed to the wheel-frame H, and a rod, X, connects itwith the supporters of the trans verse vane V. V

The action will then be as follows: When the wind blows ordinarily, the weight at the bottom of the disk will be sufficient to prevent the vane V from turning up about the shaft or axis; but if itblows strongly, this vane will be turned up more or less, and will, through the rod X, push upon the arm WV on the wheelframe, and thus force the tail around to one side in proportion to the strength of the wind, thus throwing the wheel more or less out of the wind. \Vhen the tail is thus thrown around, the disk T will be in position to be acted upon, and if the wind moderates it will be thrown back into line again by the weight of the vane V and the greater weight of the lower edge of the disk. The tail-frame timbers U are made in pairs placed far enough apart to allow the disk T to be supported between them. Each pair forms a triangle, through the apex of which one end of the diskshaft passes. The opposite ends are separated, forming the base of the triangle, and are pivoted to the wheel-frame, so as to turn about the pivotal points, as shown. A cord, Y, is fixed to the disk, and, passing over guide-pulle'ys Z, it extends down through the hollow cone I and hollow slide P, so that it may be operated from the ground to turn the tail and throw the wheel out of the wind. The diameter of the disk being considerable, the leverage is such that the cord operates it very easily. It will be manifest that the rod X, connecting the tail with the wheel-frame, may have its outer end attached above or below the axis of motion of the disk or on-either side of the disk, and its inner end may be connected with the wheel-frame upon ei therside of the point where the tail is hinged, so that it may act either to push or to pull upon the frame, as desired. The cord Y may also be attached to the upper or lower edge of the disk, and the guidep'ulleys would be arranged accordingly.

I am aware of Patents Nos. 218,715, August 19, 1879, and 148,131, March 3, 1874, and do not claim the features therein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In awindmill, and in combination with a wheel-supporting frame turning about a vertical axis, a regulating device consisting of a vertical flat disk with a vertical flat vane secured to depending bars and at right angles to the disk, a tail-frame hinged to the wheelframe, and having the horizontal axle or shaft of the vertical disk journaled in its outer end, and a rod connecting the disk with the wheelframe, substantially as herein described.

2. A fiat vertical disk with a shaft or axis journaled transversely upon the outer ends of the tail-frame of a windmill, a flat vane fixed to depending arms in a plane at right angles with the disk, in combination with a rod having one end connected with the arms below the shaft of the disk, and the other end connected with an arm upon the wheel-frame, substantially as herein described.

3. The hollow tubular slide moving through the vertical hollow cone, and having a neck formed integral with its lower end, in combination with a pump-rod having a D-shapeil clamp upon its upper end to fit the neck of the slide, and a holding-pin, substantially as here in described.

4.. In a wind-Wheel, the radial arms having blocks fixed to them, with outer concave surfaces, in combination with wheel-vanes fixed to these concave surfaces, so as to be curved about an axis which is radial to the wheel, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM OTIS SWVINNERTON. Witnesses:

A. W. WHITE, J. O. MONAMARA. 

